Tottenham player goes into fashion business; wants to be like David Beckham

Dele Alli, the 22-year-old soccer star who plays for Tottenham Hotspur and England national team, has expressed love for David Beckham, saying the former Three Lions winger turned model is still his most-loved fashion icon.

Image: Dele Alli

Alli (full names Bamidele Jermaine “Dele” Alli) says he previously found it difficult to pick a headwear that suits him. However, having found solace in his clothing company Leo Fortis (Latin words for “Brave Lion”), the Premier League star hopes his fashion styles will appeal to shoppers as “comfortable and unique.”

Speaking in an interview with GQ online, the midfielder acknowledged that his investment in Leo Fortis has been fulfilling, not in profits, but for his fashion taste.

‘It was quite a big thing for me,’ he told the British fashion house.

‘A few years ago, I loved wearing hats and it was quite difficult for me to find the hat that I liked because it’s all about the shape for me.

‘It has been difficult but I have been fortunate to have a lot of people around me.

‘I think it was difficult to have a unique design, and just the whole process of and time it takes.

‘A lot of it was trial and error when making the cap, but the main thing for me was obviously the colours and stuff you can change and vary but the fit is the most important thing when you have a hat.’

Alli explained that his choice of David Beckham as a favourite fashion icon is reasonable, adding that the former England captain’s unique style and massive influence around the world make him lovable.

‘I don’t have many style icons…But Beckham is the right definition of creativity.’

The Tottenham Hotspur player also laughed at an embracing throwback picture of his younger self in a questionable outfit, noting that the image which went viral a few years ago is better described as his “biggest fashion faux pas.”

‘The picture everyone has seen of a younger me in a yellow Topman cardigan and—I can’t even remember what the t-shirt was underneath with some shades on it. That wasn’t my best outfit,’ he said.